Regrets in the Crying Sky
by Wild Rhov
Summary: Gray looked down at the ashy tip of his cigarette. "Do you have any regrets in life?" Natsu's eyes lowered as his heart tightened from a deep pain. "My biggest regret...is not taking action when I saw someone I loved being taken away from me." Gratsu tearjerker.
1. Rain

_A/N: Another collaboration with yasminemohamed91, Moonlessnight126 on YouTube, who inspired "Super Psycho Love," "Burning Bridges," and many one-shots. The bookcover is a present from The Lonely She-Wolf.  
_

_This story takes place 12 years after events in Hiro Mashima's __Fairy Tail.__  
It's one of the most emotionally wracking stories I've ever written, although "Cold, Gray Winter" still tops that list for me as a writer: **fanfiction =dot= net/s/8869590/**  
Beware of yaoi, angst, profanity, and the bittersweet taste of lemons.  
_

* * *

**Regrets in the Crying Sky**

a _Fairy Tail_ fanfic

by Rhov and Yasminemohamed91

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Chapter 1

**Rain**

As Gray entered Magnolia, the sky overhead bubbled with dark clouds, threatening quite a storm. It cast the city in shades of silver, green, and gray-blue, making the city look older...much like Gray himself.

Or maybe he just felt old today. The S-Class mission he had recently finished took him a month to complete. After something like that, he felt his age, no longer a spry teenage, although he was not all that old yet. Still, thirty years were a long time for the body to keep up with such rigorous activities.

As he looked at the monochrome view of his hometown, Gray knew he should be feeling elation. He was home! He should probably rush to his house and kiss Juvia hello. He had told her he would arrive this weekend, still three days away. She would probably bake a cake to celebrate, just like she always did. However, thinking of his wife did not make him as happy as he knew it should. Sure, he cared deeply for Juvia, she was a sweet woman who doted on him...a little too much, sometimes. He married her because he knew no other person would feel as deeply for him as Juvia did.

No one else...

Surely not the person who stole his heart years ago.

However, back then he lacked the courage to express himself properly. He kept quiet. He..._settled_. He knew what was expected of him—become S-Class, serve the guild, marry a sweet lady, someday have children. That was what people told him he should want, what they urged him to do, so he figured he would feel happier with a charming lady like Juvia by his side, rather than that other person.

Especially when _he_ wasn't around. _He_ too was a S-Class mage now. _He_ also went on long missions. _He_ never found out that Gray had harbored an unrequited love for over twelve years.

Gray smiled gently as he thought of that huge smile, those narrow eyes, and the pink hair. He could not remember the last time he and Natsu were in Magnolia at the same time. Since the dragon slayer refused to ride transportation, his missions always took twice as long, and Natsu tended to clamber for the craziest missions available. When Gray arrived in town, it was usually to hear that Natsu had just left on yet another mission.

He wished he could see the crazy flame-brain, if only to see how the years had treated him.

Gray walked slowly through the streets of Magnolia, reminiscing about the times he used to spend as a child, racing from the guild to the candy store, or running away from Erza when he smashed her cake. He passed by Lucy's old house on Strawberry Street, now rented to someone else, some new guild member whose name Gray could not recall. He drifted to the river, where he and Natsu had fought every day. Memories of those arguments, so childish and cute, made Gray smile. He remembered teasing Natsu when he got pounded by Erza and arguing with him over the dumbest, most juvenile stuff.

Most of all, he remembered one mission, before Lucy arrived. He had teamed up with Loke, but they got separated in the fight. The enemy was tough, Gray had only been fifteen, and he was hit so hard, he heard his ribs crack. As blackness swallowed his vision, he heard an enraged roar and saw flames. When he came to, he was riding on Natsu's back, and they were halfway to Magnolia. The dragon slayer had happened upon the fight, and what Gray could not beat, Natsu did. That had shamed Gray at the time, but riding on Natsu's back also changed something within himself.

Natsu had defended him. When he fell in defeat, it was Natsu who carried him all the way back home. Natsu had always been there for him, by his side. They fought like usual, but now the fights were a cover-up for Gray, a way to stubbornly hide the way he felt, acting tough and mighty, yet hiding his blushes whenever Natsu laughed along with him.

Gray found himself stopping in front of Natsu's house. He had been so lost in thought, he did not notice that his feet dragged him all the way out here.

Natsu's house. He hadn't visited the place in probably five years! It hadn't really changed during that time. Seeing it brought back memories.

Gray shook his head. It wasn't like Natsu was ever home anyway.

Something wet plinked on his nose. Gray looked up at the sky and felt droplets tickle his face. It had darkened considerably as he strolled aimlessly through the town. In the distance, he heard a low roll of thunder.

"Crap," he whispered. He turned, wondering if he could make it all the way back to his house before the storm hit.

Just as he took a couple steps, he heard a door creak open. Gray looked back with wide, shocked eyes. A figure stepped out of warm yellow light and into the chilly rain. Large muscles, lanky pink hair, a white scarf: Gray caught his breath. Natsu had grown since their time teamed up with Erza and Lucy. Gray had always been a bit proud at being taller, but all bragging rights vanished when Natsu shot up. Now he was taller, leaner, more rugged with longish hair, and although he had even more muscles, he moved with a certain gracefulness, a confident carriage, that only a trained fighter possessed.

Natsu grumbled about the rain as he carried two plastic bags in his hands. "Phew, this stinks!" he cried out, dumping them into a metal trashcan.

After he closed the lid to the reek of old food, Natsu smelled something else, something familiar carried over the moist air. His nose perked up, he sniffed harder, and up ahead in the gloomy twilight he saw someone with gray-blue eyes and black hair.

"Gray!" he cried out, grinning wildly. "What're you doing here this late at night?"

Gray could hardly help but smile at his childhood rival. "Just got back from a mission."

"Juvia said you weren't due until this weekend."

"Yeah, well...I'm a little early."

Natsu looked confused, even a little worried, but he dismissed it with a forced laugh. "Good mission?"

"Pay was sweet, but it was damn easy, if you ask me."

Natsu smirked at him. "Getting cocky are we, droopy eyes?"

Gray caught his breath. It had been so long since he heard that nickname.

Suddenly, thunder clapped overhead, and the rain fell mercilessly. Gray pulled his jacket up to his head and cursed at the sky.

"What are you doing standing around?" snapped Natsu. "Get inside before you get soaked."

Gray hesitated. He and Natsu...alone in his house! Warmth spread through his body, yet he felt a shiver.

A second thunderclap settled his doubts. He raced inside the hot house and passed Natsu. When he heard the door click shut, a slight tremble crept over his body.

"Cold?" Natsu asked in surprise.

"Are you kidding? Never," Gray said, trying to sound cocky.

He dusted off the droplets clinging to his long, white coat. Natsu rushed to the bathroom and brought him a towel. When he felt Natsu lay the warm towel over his head, Gray felt a flush in his face. He roughly grabbed it out of the dragon slayer's hands.

"You're not my mother, asshole," he snapped.

Gray ran the towel over his hair, letting it fall into his face to hide the blushing. Still, Natsu stood nearby. A little too close, for Gray's liking. Through dripping bangs and the fluffy towel, he glanced up to see Natsu smiling down at him. That face made heat course through Gray's veins, tingling his whole body.

_What am I doing here? Why did I even come here? Damn! I really am an idiot._

As they stood together in the entryway Gray was even more reminded at Natsu's new height. Well...not new. He shot up ten years ago, just before he turned twenty. Still, it was ten years of them not being on the same team, rarely seeing one another, and then usually bickering from across the room. He could not remember the last time he stood this close to Natsu. The dragon slayer radiated heat that Gray could feel, even from this distance. The whole house smelled like him. Gray did not have a dragon slayer's nose, but it was impossible to miss such unique musk.

When Gray looked up, those sage-green eyes, so dark they appeared black in low light, were gazing down at him. Maybe Natsu was not _that_ much taller, just a fraction, but having those narrow eyes looking down on him, slightly lowered like that, made Gray's heart pound.

"Excuse the intrusion," Gray muttered, forcing his eyes to look away with a petulant scowl.

"No problem!" Natsu said cheerfully. "Hey, did you shrink, Gray?"

"Shut up!"

"They say old men start to shrink. You're, what, thirty already?"

"So what if I am?" Gray snapped. "Besides, you missed my birthday party. It's a miracle you know my age."

"Couldn't be helped. I was on a mission."

"I know," Gray mumbled.

Always, Natsu was on a mission. He missed Gray's twentieth birthday because he was on a mission. He missed his twenty-fifth birthday, too. He missed Gray's wedding because he was on a mission...although, to be fair, he was with Gildarts for that one; they were both hard-pressed and injured when they came back laughing like drunken idiots and apologizing to Gray and Juvia.

"I'll get tea started," Natsu offered. "Hey, I got some extra food if you want dinner. Can you stay for a bit?"

"Well, no one is really expecting me yet," Gray reasoned.

"Awesome. It's been a while."

Gray smiled nostalgically. "It certainly has."

Natsu rushed off to the kitchen while Gray took off his shoes at the door. He realized there were no lights on, only candles and a fire burning in the hearth.

"Did the storm knock out your power?"

"Huh? Oh, nah. Since I'm not home enough, I stopped paying the electric bill. They shut it off years ago. I'm fine without it. I have my flames."

Gray mumbled to himself, "A miracle the house hasn't burned down."

"Stone and fireproof wood," Natsu answered. Gray was shocked the dragon slayer heard him from way over there. Then he remembered, Natsu's hearing as well as his smell were fairly keen.

Towering piles of boxes littered the living room. Most were marked _Natsu's Stuff_. The furniture was all covered in dust sheets. There really was no place to sit. Gray figured Natsu probably kept everything in storage because he barely stayed at home long enough to unpack.

"Does Happy still live with you?" Gray called out to the kitchen where he heard clinking cups and cupboards creaking open only to slam closed.

"Nah, he moved out shortly after the kittens arrived. He takes care of the place when I'm gone, but he doesn't live in it."

"I see," Gray muttered, glancing around at the eerie emptiness lit only by candles. It felt rather depressing, thinking about living in such a building all alone. "I'm surprised you'd bother to keep a whole house if you're rarely around to sleep in it."

"I like the place," he grinned, fixing tea. "It always feels good to come home to my own bed. So, how did you know I was back in Magnolia?"

"I didn't. I came here by coincidence."

"Oh." Natsu came out with a tray for tea. "Hmm...no real place to set anything. Sorry it's a bit bare."

"It's fine. I understand."

"Let's go to the bedroom. That's the only room I keep set up."

Gray followed Natsu to another room. When they first entered, it was dark. The greenish-gray hues of the storm outside blended with the shadows in the room. It was dark, but it felt peaceful to Gray, a place to hide away, a void unencumbered by neither clutter nor emptiness, sweet and secluding darkness, a refuge where he could hide the acrid longing in his eyes. Natsu set the tea tray on a small table, then lit a candle, banishing those gentle, dark, shrouding colors.

"Sugar?" asked Natsu.

"What? Oh! Um, no thanks."

For just one jolting moment, Gray had thought Natsu called him a sweet name. He mentally scolded himself. He had to keep on his guard here, trapped deep within the dragon's den. Gray took a cup of pale green tea and sipped it. Shockingly, it wasn't half bad!

"Mind if I smoke?" he asked.

"Just keep the window open."

Gray moved over to the bedroom window and pushed open the panes. A mist of rain drifted in, but it felt good and cold on his face compared to the hot air of the dragon slayer's house. Gray set his tea down, tapped out a cigarette, and searched his pockets for his lighter.

"Let me," offered Natsu.

He held one finger up, and a small flame ignited. Gray hummed a thanks and leaned the cigarette over the flame. Then he took a deep drag, held the smoke in his lungs to calm himself, and let out a perfect smoke ring. It drifted out into the rain and was quickly crushed by the wet drops.

"I thought you dropped that habit years ago," Natsu mumbled, wrinkling his nose at the smell.

Gray smirked as he looked at the dragon slayer from the corner of his eyes. "There's a lot you don't know about me." Silently, he thought, _Things I can never tell you._

Natsu coughed from the stench of the smoke and moved over to the bed. He laid back as he looked up at the ceiling. Somewhere, a clock ticked away the tense seconds.

"How's married life?"

Gray flinched at the question and looked back over to the pink-haired man. Natsu was sprawled on the bed, arms folded under his head, perfectly calm and relaxed...and sexy. Damn sexy! Gray's throat went instantly dry, and he grabbed up the tea for a quick sip.

"It's going well," he answered, forcing his voice to be neutral. "Juvia was hinting at wanting kids just before I left. We might try while I'm home. Honestly, that's why I took such a long mission. The pay will let me take a few months off, so we can start trying."

"Oh...is that so?" Some of the brightness in Natsu's eyes dimmed as he smiled sadly. "That's good to hear. I'd wish you luck, but..." Natsu laughed, but even Gray could hear that it sounded forced. "...but I'm sure you two know what you're doing in _that_ arena."

"Five years of marriage does make a person an expert in the bedroom," Gray smirked, old rivalries making him want to brag a little.

"Hmm...guess so," Natsu muttered.

Gray scolded himself. He had heard rumors that Natsu was starting to feel depressed at seeing all of his friends getting married, while he himself had failed to keep a steady girlfriend. Gray decided that talking about Juvia, or bragging about all the sex, was not only wretchedly awkward for him, but probably depressing for a bachelor like Natsu.

"I'm glad you two are happy. You deserve it."

Gray felt his heart sting at Natsu's congratulatory words.

"You got really lucky, snagging such a caring wife like Juvia."

_Please, just stop talking!_

Natsu flashed him a massive grin. "And she got fortunate to finally capture her precious Gray-sama. Lucky girl!"

Gray smiled bittersweetly. "Yeah...thanks."

He turned his face back out to the window, took a long drag on the cigarette, and exhaled out into the cold. Natstu was there—_right there_—right in front of him. He was so close, yet Gray felt constricted. In the past, it was fear of rejection that kept him quiet. Now, he had Juvia to think about. He could not express himself.

Not directly, anyway.

"Hey Natsu..."

"Hmm?"

Gray looked down at the ashy tip of his cigarette. "Do you have any regrets in life?"

Natsu's eyes lowered as his heart tightened from a deep pain. "Yeah..." Gray stayed quiet to listen, so slowly Natsu continued. "I regret that I couldn't save Simon in the Tower of Heaven. I regret not saving Future-Lucy during the Grand Magic Games. I regret breaking up the team. I regret walking in on Erza and Jellal that one time at a theme park."

Gray laughed heartily. "Oh God, she destroyed half the park chasing after you!"

"Yeah," Natsu laughed, but his eyes went sad. "But my biggest regret...is not taking action when I saw someone I loved being taken away from me."

Gray thought about his words for a solemn moment as he inhaled his smoke. "Do you mean Lucy?"

Natsu's eyes dimmed, yet he did not give an answer.

"I heard she's engaged," Gray mentioned, treading cautiously on this subject.

"Married already," Natsu said softly.

Gray jolted at that. "Married? When?"

"Last month."

"I thought the wedding was planned for summer."

Natsu smiled mischievously. "Her belly would have been too big if she waited that long."

Gray's cheeks went hot. "Oh! I...I didn't know. I should buy her a wedding gift. And a baby gift too, I guess. Wow..."

He was at a loss on how to react to this news. He knew Natsu had feelings for Lucy since they were young. An unrequited love, now squashed. Gray knew the feeling all too well.

"Lucy..." Gray mused softly. "It's been a while since she took that columnist job for _Sorcerer Magazine_. Have you seen her? How is she doing?"

"Doing well. She's had morning sickness lately. Now she knows how I felt every time she dragged me onto a train. Her and Erza are swapping stories on babies all the time."

"So how's Erza and Jellal?"

"Oh, they're doing great," Natsu scoffed out a droll laugh. "They're expecting a baby come autumn."

"Another?" exclaimed Gray. "Sheesh, those two!"

Natsu just laughed. "Yesterday, she told me she misses our petty brawls. They weren't half as bad as the fights her twins get into."

Gray had to crack a laugh at that. "I miss them too, squinty eyes."

"Droopy eyes."

"Furnace face!"

"Pervy exhibitionist!"

"Air-headed flame-brain!"

"Ice Princess."

They glared at each other from across the room for a moment before breaking into smiles. It almost felt like old times, like they were teenagers again, wild rivals who did nothing but bicker and fight. Once again, Gray felt young, carefree, unburdened...but then he felt the stab of harrowing reality.

_If things had been different...if they had just been a little different..._

He looked away quickly to hide the sadness on his face, and he stared outside at the rain pelting Magnolia. Not even his cigarette could soothe the ache of missed opportunities.

"So, do you have any past regrets?" Natsu asked, sounding completely casual, as if he had not seen the misery on Gray's face.

Gray hummed deeply. "I have way too many to list, starting all the way back with my parents dying and Ur sacrificing herself. But those were mostly out of my control. My deepest, most personal regret...is keeping silent when I wanted to express my feelings to the person I cared about most, but I couldn't say a word."

"You loved someone?" Natsu asked in amazement. "Someone other than Juvia?"

Gray nodded, smiling bitterly at the crying sky. "I still do," he whispered.

The cigarette came to its end as he breathed out the emptiness inside. Gray crushed out the embers and flicked the stick into the rain. It landed in a dark puddle and quickly sank into the mud.

"You never told that person?" Natsu asked, sounding hesitant yet intrigued.

Gray shook his head. "It was completely one-sided. It's too late, anyway. All I can do now is stand back and watch...stand far away, so I don't make an even worse mistake."

"Mistake?" Natsu whispered solemnly. "You mean with Juvia?" Natsu looked blankly at the single candle that flickered in the bedroom. It danced from the chilly breeze wafting through the window, melting the wax faster, burning through its short wick quickly with such wild heat. "Would you...don't get mad at me for asking," he added quickly, interrupting his own question, "but...would you divorce her?"

"No," Gray said immediately.

How often had he questioned that himself? If, by some divine miracle, Natsu suddenly turned gay and wanted him, would he leave Juvia for Natsu?

"No, she doesn't deserve to be treated like a substitute, and in all honesty, she's not. I love her, really. Just...not how I love that other person," he said, shivering slightly at confessing this, skating around the truth in front of the person who gave his stomach butterflies. "It's a different love. A deep love—she's my wife—but...different. She's kindhearted, smart, funny, a little too devoted to me at times, but that's just how she is. This...me feeling like _this_...it isn't fair to her. I don't want to hurt her, but...sometimes..." He bit on the tip of his thumb, already wishing he had another cigarette, something he could hide behind. "If I could go back in time, do it over again..."

He merely shook his head, knowing he could never express all the regrets he had. Even if he had confessed and got rejected, at least he would have taken that chance rather than suffer all his life never knowing, always wondering, doubting, hoping, dreaming...

Natsu sat up with a sad expression to hear his old rival sound so depressed. "Gray..."

Suddenly, Gray shouted, "You should have made your move, Natsu!" The outburst shocked the dragon slayer. "Goddammit, if you had feelings for Lucy, you should have taken action. You're going to regret it now," he warned in anger. "You'll live in a pit of dark regrets...like I do." He looked back outside as his eyes began to sting. The rainy mist felt too much like teardrops, so Gray closed the window and leaned his head against the chilly glass. He muttered, "I didn't want that for you. I wanted you to find love, too. Even if it's lukewarm, some love—_any_ love—is better than loneliness...right?"

Natsu clenched his fists. He bolted up and stomped across the bedroom, unable to bear hearing those words. "Damn you, Gray!"

The black-haired man jolted at the shout. He turned and saw pain in the bronze face. "Natsu?"

The dragon slayer's fists shook with rage. "_Any love?_ Is that what you think? Any fucking love will do? Goddamn you!" he hissed. "If it wasn't for this storm, I'd kick your ass out of my house right now. Dammit, why did you have to come here?" he screamed. "I've been avoiding you all this time, yet...yet here you are, standing in front of me, talking like that."

The words stabbed Gray deeply. Natsu was...avoiding him? Why?

He began to reach up to Natsu's irked face, but the dragon slayer slapped his hand away. Natsu roughly grabbed Gray by the lapels of his coat, flung him away from the window, and slammed him against a wall. Gray felt his head hit hard enough to black out his vision for a moment, yet when the shadows cleared, he saw Natsu right in front of him with his teeth clenched. Gray wondered if he was about to get punched. Natsu looked raging mad, and Gray had no idea why.

_I've been avoiding you all this time..._

Suddenly, anger boiled in Gray's veins. "What the hell, Natsu? So you're telling me that all these years, you were purposely avoiding me? Is that why you always left just before I arrived home? Just to ignore me? To not even see me? Is that why you were shocked to see me home early? I bet you were planning on leaving again before this weekend."

"That's right," Natsu said coldly. "That's why everything is boxed up. I plan to leave on Friday."

Tears burned Gray's eyes, yet he refused to shed them. "Do you hate me that much?"

Instead of shouting, Natsu let go of the coat and lowered his head with a growling sigh. "You should get out of here, Gray. Go home. Go back to your wife...before I do something stupid!"

Gray grabbed Natsu by the scarf and shook him roughly. "Don't you dare retreat from me now, bastard! Aren't we eternal rivals, former teammates..._nakama_? All those missions, all those years teamed up...did you never once think of me as a friend at least? Just something disgusting, a rival to be avoided? After all we went through together, is this how much I mean to you? _Nothing?_" He knew he was over-reacting, but pain stung his heart as he blurted out the words.

Natsu looked at him with a weary gaze for a few moments. Slowly, his brow tensed as if battling the deepest remorse, and he whispered, "It wasn't Lucy."

Gray blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Natsu shoved Gray's hand off the white scarf and leaned in closer, his arms next to the ice mage's face, caging him in against the wall. "It wasn't...ever...Lucy." He sneered, and a sniffle escaped before he had a chance to cover his face. His fingers sank deep into his hair as he hid away his anguish. "Dammit, Gray! I...I really... _Dammit!_"

Instead of anger, sadness chilled Gray's heart as he saw the misery in Natsu's face. But why? Not Lucy? Then who? Lisanna? But she was still single. Could it have been Erza?

"Che!" Gray scoffed, looking away as the despondent face tormented his heart. "I can never understand you, flame-brain."

"My deepest regret," he whispered, still hiding his face in his hand, "is not taking action, even when my whole being begged for it. Letting that person go without even stretching out my hand to grab hold. It's too late now, but if I could have one chance...just be granted one moment of happiness where I can finally tell that person..." Natsu's trembling voice faded to nothing.

"Tell who? Hell, I'll help you out if you're such a coward."

Natsu laughed moistly as a defiant tear slipped down his cheek. "A coward. Yes, I'm a coward. S-Class means nothing to me anymore, because in the face of the person I care for most, I'm a hopeless and pathetic coward."

Gray felt like acid was burning his heart. Knowing Natsu cared for someone this much, while he admitted he was purposely avoiding Gray, was torture.

"Are you crying? What the hell happened to you, Natsu? You were never like this before. What bitch broke your heart so badly that it changed you into a sniveling pussy? If it wasn't Lucy, then who was she? Someone in the guild? Some village girl you met on one of your long missions? Who?" When he did not hear an answer, Gray bellowed, "Tell me, Natsu!"

Natsu slowly moved his hand away from his face. A gleam of tears and sorrow shimmered in his narrow eyes. "You, Gray. You're the bitch who changed me."

**End of Chapter 1**


	2. Regrets

Chapter 2

**Regrets**

Gray froze, trapped by the dragon slayer's passion-filled eyes, caught like a rabbit in a snare. For a moment, he forgot to breathe, merely blinking as Natsu's words tried to fit into his bewildered mind. He stared blankly at the dragon slayer. After a silent moment, Natsu finally put his hand back over his eyes, trying to hide the pained emotions on his face.

Gray suddenly remembered to inhale. Was this really happening? Did Natsu really say what he thought he said? _You're the bitch who changed me._ Did that mean what he thought it meant? Maybe he was misunderstanding it.

"Me?" Gray whispered numbly. "I changed you? But...but how..."

Natsu cut him off. "It's because I didn't hold onto you when you were being taken away from me. Juvia swept you away like a spring flood, and _I didn't do a fucking thing about it!_" he roared.

"Na...tsu?"

_Didn't hold on to...to me? I was taken away...from him? From Natsu? That means, who Natsu loved back then...the person Natsu regrets not confessing to...no! No, it can't be. Oh God! All this time?  
_

Gray's eyes went wide, and his hands trembled with shock. The truth sank deep into him. The way Natsu looked at him...those squinty eyes were not filled with hate, but with longing. Longing for him! He felt the icy hollowness inside being filled with Natsu's warmness. The only one who understood his suffering, his pain, the emptiness in his heart, was the man who had been suffering the same things.

And Gray never once realized it.

Natsu dropped his hand completely, exposing all of his face, no longer hiding his feelings. Gray gave a soft gasp at the intensity in those sage-green eyes. They practically burned with forbidden passion that Natsu had been bottling for...who knew how long! Gray's gaze fell to the floor to hide from that intense stare.

"Why?" Gray asked softly, his voice frail and cracking under the anguishing strain. "Why did you keep quiet?"

"You're in love with Juvia," Natsu explained with a weary shrug. "I wanted you to be happy."

"Idiot!" he shrieked. Gray's lips trembled as he tried desperately to hold back surging emotions. "You...goddamn...idiot," he whispered hoarsely, swallowing back sobs. He took a slow, unsteady breath, and finally confessed, "I was in love with _you_, Natsu."

The dragon slayer's eyes widened fractionally. "But...Juvia..."

"I married her because I couldn't stand the thought of never having love at all. I needed...something. Anything!"

"Any love," Natsu repeated, stunned as Gray's previous words now made sense.

"That's right," Gray said acridly. "Any love. Anything but suffering alone. And she was there, she was willing, and she's been...kind. Loving," he admitted hesitantly. "But she wasn't who I originally wanted. You were. Yet you never gave me a _single hint_ that you felt anything more than pure disgust and loathing toward me. Dammit, Natsu! Why didn't you say something before I married her? Why did you turn away from me, when you could have pulled me into your arms? Why...?"

"Because I'm a coward, okay?" Natsu screamed. "Because I thought it was better to live with my unrequited love rather than hear you reject me. You never gave _me_ any hints either, dumb-ass!"

Gray shuddered out tears. "Bastard! Why tell me now, when I can't...I _can't_..." A sobbing hiccup shivered out. Teardrops slid down his face and fell as tiny splashes onto Natsu's floor. Gray punched the wall behind him in frustration. "Goddammit!"

Natsu reached up and gently stroked the tears away. He had seen Gray cry before, but never like this. Those tears burned Natsu's heart like no flame could. The shiver of his cold breathes, the quivering muscles that strained to hold back emotions, the occasional sound of Gray's throat clenching as he tried to swallow back sobs, was almost too much for the dragon slayer to bear.

"I'm sorry, Gray. I couldn't keep it a secret forever, I guess. It was too much of a burden. That's why I kept avoiding you for all these years." He turned his face away in regret. "I never should have brought you into this house. Part of me was hoping...but I knew it'd only trouble you. I really am sorry."

Gray glared at him, sniffled, then suddenly he threw his arms around Natsu and pulled him into a crushing hug. Natsu was nearly yanked off his feet and steadied himself against the wall with his hand.

"You idiot!" Gray shrieked. He grasped those muscular shoulders tightly, as if fearing that if he let go now, he would lose Natsu forever.

Years of regret broke down, and a lifetime of new regrets formed in that single moment. Now Gray knew the truth, yet he was married. This was unfair to him, unfair to Natsu, yet immensely unfair to Juvia.

_If only I could have one moment...one night of true happiness...just one...with Natsu._

Natsu stroked Gray's black hair and rested his chin on the strong shoulder. Holding Gray felt...comfortable. Right! He wanted to hug him like this and never let go.

"I want to be greedy," Natsu confessed in a sinful whisper. "I want to steal you away from your wife, make you mine...just for one night."

Gray pulled back with reddened eyes. Painfully, a smile struggled to his lips. "I want that, too," he breathed guiltily.

Their eyes shined deeply, burning, freezing, tingling the skin of one another. Although they spent all of their lives as polar opposites—fire and ice, summer and winter—now they felt a magnetic attraction, something impossible to resist.

Not like they wanted to fight it! Not now. Not when they finally knew the truth.

Their lips slowly neared each other. Natsu felt cold breaths on his mouth, and Gray felt puffs of hot air on his nose as Natsu leaned over him slightly. They hesitated for a moment in trepidation, a worried glance into one another's eyes to ask a silent question: _Do you really want this?_ Seeing the eagerness in each other's face, Natsu leaned forward more, and Gray tipped his chin up a little, softly uniting their lips in a gentle kiss.

Their eyes closed in surrender to such forbidden passion, as fluttering bliss filled the emptiness of their hearts.

Natsu's mouth felt warm and firm, his lips a little chapped, but the strength in that mouth could be sensed even in such a soft kiss. As the heat between them soared, they inhaled through their noses, unwilling to part from this moment.

A little bit of dark pink stubble on his chin tickled Gray's face. Hesitantly, Gray reached up and touched the razor-roughened cheek. Natsu jolted with a faint gasp at the icy fingers, then he leaned into the caress with a sigh humming through his nose.

Their longing desire and growing passion could have iced Hell and burned Heaven.

Natsu pulled back, letting their lips pop at separating, and he looked deeply into Gray's hazy eyes. Nothing had ever before looked so beautiful as that face lost in dreamy ecstasy, and it made Natsu's stomach tug with need. He wanted to see more unique expressions. He wanted to see every face Gray hid behind dark rooms.

Natsu leaned down again, firmer this time, and pressed Gray against the wall. His hand felt the black hair, still slightly damp from the rain. Gray's mouth tasted of cigarettes, green tea, and peppermint.

Natsu wanted more!

His licked Gray's lip and smirked when he heard a small gasp. Then that mouth opened, something wet moistened his dry lips, and a cold sigh entered his mouth. Their tongues met, like a jolt of electricity, and Natsu grunted to keep from wantonly moaning at the taste.

Gray was potently aware of Natsu's height now. After years married to a shorter woman, it was awkward to have to tilt his head up to kiss.

Years married!

"_Gray-sama!"_

He gasped and pulled away in a panic. Gray knew that had not been her voice, just a memory. Still, terror and guilt shot through his veins.

"Gray? Gray!" Natsu called out softly, worried at the widened, horrified eyes. The dragon slayer suddenly smelled fear in the cold body. Although he felt sinking disappointment, he knew he had to be understanding. "It's okay. We can stop."

Gray gasped, and his eyes shot up in dread. "No!" he breathed. A shiver escaped, trembling his whole body, and Natsu felt the muscles shuddering under him.

Natsu caressed his cold face and smiled with empathy. "You don't have to."

"I want to," he insisted, yet a second later his face flinched with guilt.

Natsu was torn. Part of him knew just how wrong this was. Twelve years ago, it would have just been taboo, two men together. Now...it was adultery!

Gray pulled Natsu closer to him, rubbing his nose across the stubbly cheek, giving himself a moment to truly make up his mind. His fingers ran through the soft pink hair, down Natsu's ears, and he caressed the hidden neck with his thumb, dipping down under the scarf.

Warm fingers slid up Gray's face, tracing the dry tear tracks. Natsu gazed at Gray as he saw the inner struggle. He could do nothing. He could not push him into something he would regret, but he also did not have the heart to shove Gray away.

"I should have told you this a long time ago, and maybe it's too late, but..." Natsu looked firmly into those blue-gray eyes and rubbed the tip of his nose against the icy one. "I love you, Gray. I have for...well, for a long time," he said after a pause as he tried and failed to pinpoint just when it happened.

Softly, enjoying the warm skin on his face, Gray confessed, "I was fifteen—maybe sixteen—when I realized I was in love."

This declaration eased Natsu's heart. Then he smirked playfully. "That long, huh? Jerk! That was way before Juvia arrived. Before Lucy, too. Hell, I think that might have been before Lisanna disappeared."

"Just before," Gray nodded. "We all thought you two were dating, so of course I didn't say anything. I didn't really understand it, either. Then when we thought she died, you changed. I obviously couldn't tell you while you were grieving for her. After that, there just never seemed to be a moment serious enough to tell you the truth."

Natsu nodded, realizing Gray had a point. Lisanna's supposed death had traumatized the entire guild, especially him, Mirajane, and Elfman.

"I think this moment is pretty serious."

Gray smirked at such an understatement. "This moment is _hells_ serious, bastard."

"So tell me again," Natsu urged playfully as his eyelids lowered. "Tell me properly."

Gray scoffed softly to hide his blushing fluster. "Why should I say something so embarrassing?"

"Because I wanna hear it," Natsu grinned. He leaned over and nipped on Gray's ear. Then he breathed out softly, "I want to hear you say it, in your voice, and watch your lips, so I know for sure that I'm not imagining all this. It's too good to be true, so...I need you to say it properly. Bluntly." He leaned up and looked into Gray's face with anticipation. "Say it."

Gray realized that Natsu was holding his breath now. He looked so cute: worried yet hopeful. Gray reached up and caressed that eager, boyish face.

"I love you...Natsu."

**End of Chapter 2**

* * *

_A/N: I'm so happy to see the reception this story has already gotten. It's definitely an emotional roller coaster. Oh, and last chapter when I said I thought "Cold, Gray Winter" was my most emotional, I meant the loooong Rated T version on my main account, not the "Take 1" alternate ending version on this account. Sorry for confusing a few people.  
_


	3. Hesitancy

Chapter 3

**Hesitancy**

It was bliss to speak the words freely, a soothing balm to the acid that had been eating away at Gray's heart for far too long. Whatever sin they were about to commit, they were ready to embrace it together, all for this fleeting chance at true happiness. Although outside, the lightning flashed like warning signs and the rainstorm beat harder, in that room all sounds and smells faded. Only their breathing and the heady musk of their skin permeated the bedroom.

Their lips united again, softly at first. Then Gray grabbed a handful of Natsu's hair and yanked him in closer. The dragon slayer grunted at such roughness, and he pressed Gray tighter against the wall, pinning him there with his hips. Gray groaned at the hard bulge that rubbed against him, feeling how aroused Natsu was at just kissing. He reached around, grabbed Natsu's hips, and yanked him in even closer, rotating his groin a little to rub that erection.

"Ahhh," Natsu cried out as he shuddered.

He yanked off Gray's white coat and unbuttoned the black shirt. His fingers glided over the cold skin and pushed the fabric away, letting it drop to the floor. Gray tried to remove the shirt that clung tightly to Natsu's strong abs, but he got stuck pushing it up. Natsu momentarily broke off the kiss, yanked the teeshirt over his head, and threw it to the side, knocking a lampshade askew. Then he dived again to kiss Gray passionately. Their bare chests crushed into each other, cold against hot skin, as they devoured each other's moans.

Natsu shifted his lips to hungrily kiss Gray's neck. Gray hissed as those chapped lips left a trail of searing wet kisses, like lava dripping down a volcano. Each burning touch sizzled his skin and made his heart pound faster.

"Gray," Natsu whispered, licking the rim of his ear. "Undress me."

Gray shuddered at the order. He had removed his own clothes—mostly without thinking—for many years, yet it had been a secret fantasy of his to undress Natsu. He knew he could have done it in a flash, but he wanted to savor this moment. He grabbed Natsu's belt and slowly threaded it out of the buckle. The metal rattled as the leather slid through, and Gray let the belt hang loosely to the side. His palm rubbed up the zipper, groping slightly, as he blindly felt his way up to the top button.

Natsu hissed as those fingers touched him so gently. He had asked Gray to do this because he wanted to hurry and get naked. Who better for a quick removal of clothes than Fairy Tail's very own stripper?

Damn him for being such a tease!

Still, this slow pace dragged out the pleasure, so Natsu said nothing. As Gray's long fingers slid over him, he felt himself rising, getting bigger and harder, as his groin yearned to be freed from its cotton confines.

At last, with an easy flick, Gray undid the button. Then just as slowly, while thrusting his tongue into Natsu's mouth, he languidly undid the zipper, moving centimeter by centimeter, his thumb and forefinger grasping the zipper clasp, but the other fingers stroking the bulge that had grown considerably in the past minute.

Gray reached his hand inside the opened fly and rubbed against the boxers, caressing between the layers of fabric, feeling out the girth hidden within. Natsu tensed with a choking noise, then shuddered out a low, throaty moan as the chill of those sculpting fingers permeated his boxers and tingled his burning arousal.

Wordlessly, Gray retracted his hand and grabbed the hem of the boxers along with the belt loops of Natsu's pants. He pulled back, gazing heatedly into those lowered, squinty eyes. Then slowly, savoring the journey, he pushed the clothes down Natsu's hips and over his thighs. His whole body dropped with them.

Gray's knees bent more, taking him lower and lower. He kissed Natsu's neck, right over the scar. As he guessed, that was immensely sensitive and left the dragon slayer shivering. He nipped Natsu's collarbone, then his lips trailed kisses down the firm chest, laying a chaste yet teasing kiss to each nipple, before dropping further, down the valley that formed between the hills and vales of his abdomen, licking into his belly button, before reaching the trail of pink, wiry hair. The pants were already to Natsu's knees, his arousal freed. Gray paused to look at that mast of manhood, admiring the curved shape, the flushed color, the thick veins, and the wrinkles around his sack.

"Beautiful," he admired softly.

He gave the head a small peck, just a tease, yet even just that made Natsu's hips tense and begin to thrust. Gray pulled back, denying him more...for now. He glanced up with a devious smile, and Natsu glared down in sexual frustration.

"We'll get to that soon," he promised, before continuing to push the pants down to Natsu's ankles.

Eagerly, the dragon slayer stepped out of the clothes and put his hand on Gray's head, stroking through the damp black hair. His mouth opened, ready to ask something, yet he held back. Already, he felt guilty for doing this, potentially ruining Gray's marriage. He felt unworthy of asking for more.

Gray saw the yearning look, and he rose back up to his knees. His hands retraced their voyage, sliding back up those powerful thighs, then stroked right over the cock. Natsu shuddered and hissed, "Yessss!"

"I want to taste you," Gray whispered. He leaned forward and slowly, testing it out, he licked up Natsu's shaft.

"Ahh, Gray," Natsu breathed in a sibilant gasp.

Gray savored the heady taste. In his youth dating around, plus five years of marriage, he had experienced plenty of blowjobs, but he never thought he would one day be giving one. He had fantasies and wet dreams, of course. When they had worked together as a team, every time Gray saw Natsu in a hot spring, or changing together in a hotel room, he had looked at that shaft and fantasied about sucking it. However, actually doing it was...amazing! To give the man he loved this much pleasure was far beyond arousing.

He knew what he personally liked, so Gray tried to do it back to Natsu. He hated to think that being married had given him an edge on good sex, yet it was likely true. Now, he wanted to show Natsu everything he had ever learned. He wanted to make this one moment together to be all that both of them had ever dreamed, a cumulation of experience and randy desires.

He licked up, then swirled his tongue around the flared edge. He sucked and nipped on the foreskin, earning a loud cry of pleasure from the dragon slayer. Natsu's fingers clutched into Gray's hair, and the ice mage glanced up to see those narrow eyes almost closed, opened only enough to watch him. Purposely, with his eyes locked onto Natsu's, he gave a long, slow lick and watched that face contort at the sweet torture.

"Do you want this, Natsu?"

With his throat too constricted to get out more than grunts, he nodded fervently.

Gray gave a consenting nod. "Tell me when it's too much."

That deep voice, threatening intense pleasure, made Natsu shiver even before Gray made his move. He licked once more, looked lovingly at the thick shaft, before wrapping his lips around it and thrusting down.

Natsu's head flung back, and he cried out, "Oh God!" Before he could fully wrap his mind around what was happening, Gray was moving on him, his mouth wet and warm, his tongue pressing the cock up against the roof of his mouth to make it tighter. Natsu cursed and fought the instinct of thrusting into Gray's mouth.

"Gray," he groaned.

The ice mage hummed, and Natsu clawed the wall with his nails, scraping into the paint. He glanced down at Gray, on his knees, his head moving back and forth on him, lips sucking and sucking and _sucking!_ Natsu tensed his stomach, but seeing this...this _dream_...was overwhelming.

Then Gray glanced up, and Natsu's throat hitched. Those droopy eyes were dark, heavy, and full of sensual promises. Despite his mouth being busy, there was a smirk to his eyes. Gray knew how good this must be feeling. He gave a savoring suck up the shaft, twirled his tongue around the tip, then slammed back down until it pressed into his throat.

"Oh God, Gray! Wait, wait...dammit!"

Gray pulled back, sucking the whole way, until popping out with a trailing string of saliva. He wanted this moment to last, and sucking Natsu off was far too tempting. He rose back up and caressed those flushed cheeks as Natsu tried to calm himself.

"Damn, you're good," Natsu hissed out, sounding frustrated. "I don't know if I'd be good enough."

Gray smiled, rubbing his thumb over Natsu's lip. "If it's you, it'll be more than good."

"But I have to compete with Juv-..."

The caressing thumb suddenly pressed hard against Natsu's mouth, instantly silencing him. Gray's eyes flashed a warning to shut up. "You're not competing against anyone tonight. It's not a fight, Natsu. It's just us. Only us." His eyes softened, yet they took on a sorrowful expression. "Don't make me think I have to judge you against her. I...I can't do that."

Natsu felt a stab to his chest. Gray might say it was not a competition, but he knew that whatever he did, Gray would compare it to what he was used to. That was only natural. Still...it made Natsu sad. More than ever, he felt like he was intruding where he didn't belong!

Gray saw that the dragon slayer was bravely holding back tears. Natsu felt guilty, and Gray understood that perfectly well. If they wanted to continue, they both had to move away from thoughts of the world outside and utterly lose themselves in _this_ world, a world of just them, a world where fire and ice coexisted.

"Undress me, Natsu," he ordered sensually. "I want to feel you against my skin."

Natsu made a small gasp. He was honestly shocked that here he was, fully naked, yet Gray was still half dressed. What a switch!

Natsu unbuttoned the tight black jeans, still damp and road-weary from the mission, and eagerly yanked the zipper down. There was no teasing from him. He wanted these clothes gone, and he wanted it now! However, Natsu found it difficult to pull the skin-tight jeans down Gray's sinewy legs. He tugged and pulled, and Gray helped him to shimmy the pants down.

"How the hell do you strip so fast wearing clothes like this?" the dragon slayer grumbled.

"That's why I wear tight pants now. It's harder to pull them off," Gray explained. He did not want to explain that it was Juvia who demanded he wear tighter clothes while in public, since she did not want anyone to see her precious Gray-sama's private parts.

After a struggle that took far too long for Natsu's liking, the clothes were off...all of them. He stepped back, gazing across Gray's body, truly looking this time. There were no frustrated shouts of "Gray, your clothes" this time. It was just the two of them, and they both realized, if they took this one more step...just one more...there was no turning back.

"Gray," Natsu said quietly, his face betraying his anguish. "Are you sure?"

The ice mage had a gentle yet understated smile. "Not really," he confessed with a soft laugh to hide his nervousness. "But I want it...more than anything. I've waited too many years for this." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Natsu's, not a full kiss, just a glance to feel the heat from that mouth and to reassure himself that this really was Natsu Dragneel in front of him. "I want you, Natsu," he whispered into the flushed ear. "I _need_ you." He licked around the ear, snagged the lobe with his lips, and tugged on it, making Natsu shudder with pleasure.

"Who...um..." With embarrassment, Natsu looked aside. "Which one of us...you know...I mean, you're probably used to topping, but...I sort of..."

Gray took hold of Natsu's shoulders, silencing him. He looked deeply into the dragon slayer's face, then slowly leaned forward to his ear. Natsu shivered, thinking he was going to lick his earlobe again, but instead Gray whispered.

"I want you to fill me, Natsu. I've felt empty for so long. I want you to fill that void. Fill me with your fire. Melt the years of cold loneliness. Burn away all the regrets...until I burst into flames."

Natsu's brow tightened at hearing such ardor. "Gray!" he exclaimed in a soft, shocked voice.

Hesitancy vanished like smoke. Natsu grabbed Gray and kissed him with as much passion as he could thrust into just his lips alone. His hands reached around, grasping at the cold skin, sliding up and down the sinewy back, feeling the scars left behind from many battles. He felt Gray also grabbing at him, and those cold fingers sizzled over every place they touched.

Gray reached down and grasped Natsu's cock. "Grab mine, too," he instructed. "Rub them at the same time."

Natsu reached down and grasped Gray's shaft. As he felt Gray's cold hands move on him, he matched the tempo. When Gray's thumb ran over the head, Natsu attempted that as well and wiped away a pearl gathered on the top. His panting got louder, filling the silent room.

"Together," Gray huffed.

He brought his body even closer, until the cocks were touching each other. Then Gray stroked both with his hands. Cold and hot blended, and the two men gasped at the same time.

Natsu's hips thrust harder against Gray, pressing him into the wall. Gray shuddered at the feel of that hot body crushing against him. He felt the flex of muscles as Natsu humped slowly, gliding over him, grinding their cocks together.

"N-Natsu," he whimpered.

The dragon slayer pulled back, gasping heavily. His eyes burned with lust as he demanded, "Bed, now!"

That was all they needed for action. Natsu yanked Gray off the wall, and Gray pulled Natsu close to him as they stumbled over to the mattress and crashed down. They scrambled over blankets and sheets, kicking them out of the way, while their hands wildly groped anything they could touch.

Natsu kissed down Gray's neck, sucking gently, not enough to leave marks. Part of him realized that, after tonight, he had to hand Gray back over to his wife. He could not claim Gray, not like he wanted to. He was...borrowing. No, stealing! There could be no marking, no claiming! It left a bitter taste in his mouth, knowing that he was taking away a man who belonged to a good friend like Juvia.

Still, that guilt was not enough to stop him now. Natsu had dreamed of this moment, a chance to show Gray his deepest desires and pleasure him gently, roughly, slowly, quickly...dammit, he didn't even know how he wanted this night to go! He just didn't want it to ever end.

However, Natsu realized a dilemma. "If we wanna do this, we'll need something better than spit."

"Olive oil," Gray immediately panted out, writhing under him.

"Ooh, I got that." Natsu pulled away and ran nude out of the bedroom, pattering across the floor in a rush of excitement.

Gray bolted up as he ran off. "Idiot, what are you...? Stupid," he sighed, collapsing back onto the pillow. "Worst timing ever, seriously!"

He stared up at the candle's flickering shadows dancing on the ceiling. Being alone in this bedroom, not having Natsu there to distract him, made Gray think about what he was doing. Slowly, his heart began to sink. It was easy to think "_I'm about to make love to the man I've wanted for fifteen years_," yet he also was forced to admit to a crueler reality: "_I'm cheating on the wife I've been married to for five years, the woman who wants to give me children._"

Juvia's sweet smile came to his mind. Her eyes sparkled like a summer shower, and her lips glistened like dewy rose petals. He could almost hear her voice laughing again: _"Gray-sama!"_

He looked at the window. It always rained when Juvia was sad. He wondered if the rain today was just a normal storm, or if it was because she missed him and could hardly wait for the weekend, for him to return to her house, to her arms, to her bed.

Bitterly, Gray swallowed back guilt and whispered to himself, "What the hell am I doing?"

Natsu suddenly bounded back inside the bedroom. "I got it!" he cheered, holding the bottle of olive oil aloft like a treasure at the end of a great quest. "This should make it easier. Good thing you know a little about what to do." He laughed lightly as he set the bottle on a nightstand. "I almost wish I had played around a little when I was younger, just so we aren't wasting time like this. Now..." He leaped onto the bed and crawled up beside Gray with a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Where was I?"

Gray kept his gaze on the dark window as Natsu kissed his neck and warmed his chilly body with those burning hands. Although the touches made his body respond on instinct, his face showed indifference, even repulsion.

_Good thing you know a little about what to do._

The only reason he knew about olive oil was from one time with Juvia. How she learned about it, he never asked. He knew she had some serious boyfriends before joining Fairy Tail. When he had tried to ask about them early on in their courtship, she began to cry. Then Magnolia was struck by a storm.

A storm like tonight.

"_Gray-sama!"_

That phantom voice spiked through his brain and straight down to his heart. Guilt tore through him, and he hastily put his hands on Natsu's chest, shoving him away. The dragon slayer was jolted back, shocked at being rejected so suddenly, but he saw the anguish in Gray's face. When he looked down to those hands holding him back, the flash of the gold wedding band was like a siren warning him that this man belonged to another.

"Oh...oh man, I totally messed up the mood, didn't I? I'm so sorry, Gray," he said regretfully. "I guess...it's probably best to give you some time to think about it. I shouldn't have rushed you and..."

"No," the other snapped hoarsely, breathing too hard to swallow.

Gray's head was to the side, resting against the pillow so he did not have to see the look of pain he knew would be on the dragon slayer's face. This was not Natsu's sin, but his own. He was the one who ran off and got married. His eyes slowly rolled up, glancing from under his lowered brow, and they gleamed darkly with tumultuous passions.

"I want you, Natsu," he whispered in a tremble of fear and desire. "Never in my life have I craved anything like I do now...and never before have I ever felt such..." He struggled to find the right word. "...disgrace."

Natsu's mouth dropped a little, ready to protest.

"You're free, you're wild, and I'm..." Regret stabbed at Gray's conscience. "I'm caged," he sighed, looking at that golden ring on his left hand. "I let myself be tied down. I don't have any right to escape that, no matter how much I might want freedom. It's too late for me. How can a domestic cat play with a tiger? What right does a pet songbird have to soar in the free sky?"

Natsu's face darkened to hear Gray's self-disgust. If Gray simply did not want to sully his honor, that was understandable, and Natsu was prepared to draw away from him once more. However, the desire—and the fear of that desire—that tortured Gray now irked the dragon slayer.

"I'll bust you out!" Natsu declared boldly.

Gray looked up in surprise and confusion. Bust him...out?

"I'll open the cage." Natsu took Gray's hand, tugged on the wedding ring, and pulled it to the tip of his finger. He hesitated there on the last knuckle and looked back into Gray's face. "Only if you want," he added softly.

Gray looked at the golden band that ensnared him like a collar and leash. That ring had been a shield to hide behind, like a coward, so he did not have to face the truth of his emotions. Yes, he loved Juvia deeply, but he loved someone else, too. Love, like hate, was just another emotion. Just as Gray could feel hate toward more than one person, he felt love for two people. He just wished that sort of dual love was okay. Juvia would hate him. Still...just once...just for tonight...

Slowly, battling conflicting emotions, he pulled his hand away, drawing back from that symbol of eternal fidelity. All a lie, now.

Natsu took the ring and placed it on the nightstand. It clinked against the wood, and Natsu made sure it was firmly down before pulling his hand back.

"Soar with me, Gray," he smiled, challenging him and urging him onward. "When you want your cage back, it's right there," he nodded to the golden band resting on the small table, "but just for tonight, be free with me." He caressed the face that had gone ashen with shock. "Don't be scared. The cage is waiting for you, but first...let me show you how to fly like a dragon!"

Gray stared, awestruck. After a few heart-stopping seconds, he laughed tensely, almost like someone who had gone suddenly insane. Yet the laugh was not of madness. It was pure relief! This was the first time in five years that he felt the heavy weight of domestic duty lift off his shoulders. It was such a liberating feeling, it made him laugh more.

Natsu smiled in relief to see Gray's face brighten again. Removing the wedding ring was a huge risk. It was also unfair, but Natsu no longer cared. He wanted Gray...so much! He was willing to ignore everything else just so he could indulge in this moment.

No more hesitancy!

**End of Chapter 3**


	4. Taboo

_A/N: Please note, this is "Regrets in the Crying Sky," not "Dangerous Drugs." I know, I'm updating them at the same time, and people have told me that it's confusing since both are Gratsu stories. Because of that, this will be the last chapter of "Regrets" until "Drugs" is completed. Thank you for your continuing support. -Rhov  
_

* * *

Chapter 4

**Taboo**

Natsu watched Gray closely, searching worriedly for the slightest hint at him changing his mind again. His hand drifted up strong thighs, slowly spreading them and rubbing the soft skin. Gray's cheeks went pink, his mouth opened to breathe fast enough, and his eyes closed tightly. Natsu picked up the bottle of olive oil and drizzled just a little onto Gray's ass, letting it run between his fingers as well, slicking them as much as he could. Then he felt down around the tiny opening between Gray's thighs, rubbing it, trying to loosen it, as well as getting Gray used to the feel of something touching him down there.

"Here we go," he warned quietly.

Fast, to overcome the initial shock, Natsu thrust a finger in just to the second knuckle. Gray's body jolted, and his eyes went wide in surprise.

Belatedly, he moaned, "Owwww. Not...not what I thought it'd feel like," he admitted, flinching a little.

"You've never tried this?" asked Natsu.

Gray shook his head. "You?"

"No," he whispered. "Not with someone else, at least. Not ever."

"Never...as in not even with girls?" Gray looked truly shocked. "You're a virgin? At _your_ age?"

Natsu shrugged with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I knew I only wanted you. I'm not the sort to settle for _any love_. That's why it really pissed me off when you said that."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Don't even start," Natsu warned. "I'm too horny for remorse. Save it for later."

Gray laughed at that. "Fine. So are you gonna move or fall asleep on me, bastard?"

"I figured your fragile little ass needed time."

"Your finger feels so good, I want to feel _more_."

Natsu had expect more playful banter, so Gray's soft moan caught him completely by surprise.

Gray chuckled. "You're cute when you blush. Now move before I change my mind, pin you to the bed, and show you how it works!"

Natsu chuckled at that, and he pressed his finger in more. Gray hissed and turned his cheek to the pillow.

"Hey, you're tensing up. Don't. I can't move down here." Natsu wiggling his finger a little.

Gray gasped and jolted. "Gaah!" His eyes went wide, and his mouth hung open for a moment. "Oh God, whatever you just did, don't do it again."

"Hurt?"

"No, felt too good. I'll come too soon."

"We wouldn't want that," smirked the dragon slayer.

Natsu pulled out some, drizzled a little more oil onto the finger, then pushed it in again. Gray moaned loudly, not bothering to hold back. Natsu lived far away from anyone, and only a fool would be out in this rainstorm. They were wrapped up in a world all of their own.

"You're so tight, Gray," Natsu hummed, sniffing his musky skin as it began to sweat. "So wonderfully tight."

Between hard panting, Gray watched Natsu with lowered eyelids. He had wild daydreams about this moment, crazy fantasies of forbidden acts that he indulged in when he sat alone on hot days, imagining the heat was the dragon slayer's flaming body. Deep inside his heart, he had secretly thought of Natsu, imagined what his touches would feel like, his facial expressions, his low bedroom voice, all in a sinful dream that was shoved aside for cold reality.

This time, it was real. He felt the heat penetrating him. He felt the scorching finger going in deeper, deeper, thrusting a little more each time.

"More," Gray whispered hoarsely.

"More how?" asked Natsu.

"I dunno...try two fingers, I guess."

Slowly, with Gray hissing, he worked it in. Gray's moans thrilled Natsu to no end. He did not care whether what they were doing was right or wrong. Natsu was willing to bear the sin for all eternity just for this moment. He would beg the heavens to shoulder Gray's sins, so he could continue being happy with the life he chose. For Natsu, this was all his soul needed. One night, one time together, one blessed moment to be with the man he loved.

He brushed his lips against Gray's and felt a cold moan fill his mouth. Natsu wanted to carve this memory into his heart forever, to record every sound and savor every taste. He had loved Gray for so long, yet he had buried his feelings deeply, denying himself any pleasure besides what he could give to himself. Now, being able to please another, Natsu felt a surreal detachment from the moment.

Watching Gray, knowing he was moaning so loudly because of him, was a dream come true!

Powerful longing rushed through Gray, shivering him to the core and burning him up inside. Each kiss was hungrier than the last, as if the dragon slayer had captured his prey and could hardly wait to devour him whole. He felt Natsu's chest press down on him with each heavy breath. The fingers moving inside had begun to grow bolder, twisting, curling, spreading, doing a sensual dance inside of him. This was a form of lovemaking Gray had never experienced before. In their five years of marriage, Juvia had never touched inside him like this, and Gray wondered if he never suggested it because, deep down inside, he wanted that to be a place reserved for Natsu.

"I'm an ass virgin, ya know."

Natsu's fingers went completely still. His hard breaths stopped as he stared in shock. Fumbling for words, he tried to recover. "Well, you did say you've never tried this."

"I meant it. Never. No one has ever touched me inside like this before...not even myself."

Natsu nodded, then moved his fingers again, although slower this time, being a little more considerate. "So, in a way, we're both still virgins."

Gray had to laugh at that. "I suppose...in a way."

Somehow, that made Natsu feel better. He was not stealing Gray's ass from Juvia, because she had never claimed it. "In that case...I dub thee Natsu's Dirty Playground." He gave Gray a smack on the rump.

Gray tensed up at the spank. "Asshole!"

"Yes, this is," Natsu smirked, giving him a few more playful thrusts. "But it's _my_ asshole. I'm claiming it."

He nibbled a line down Gray's throat, across his broad chest, then detoured over to the pink nipple again. His burning tongue licked round and around, then his lips grabbed it, pulling, sucking, teasing. Gray caught his breath at the sensation, and Natsu felt the sphincter muscles clench. When he felt the nub harden, Natsu grabbed it with his teeth and gently pulled over the tender flesh.

"Natsu...oh God...Natsu, that's..._nnngh_, good. So good."

While stroking his fingers in and out, he leaned over and kissed Gray deeply. His longish pink hair draped down and tickled Gray's cheeks, while the stubble on his face enticed even more. He felt the ice mage shudder under him from his burning touches. Grunts and hums set a tempo to the cacophony of rainfall and the occasional cymbal crash of thunder outside. Natsu pulled away to gaze down in the wavering candlelight, feeling intoxicated by the face of the man he loved as he listened to Gray moaning his name.

He lowered his lips to Gray's ear and whispered, "Take it all in, Gray. Let me fill your void."

Hazy blue eyes peered up at him. "Then fill it already!"

Natsu smiled down at him. He gave a silent nod and gently withdrew his fingers. Gray hissed, then relaxed. Natsu gazed into Gray's eyes for a brief moment before raising himself up on his knees. He picked up the olive oil bottle again, and this time he dribbled so much on, the yellow oil dripped across the bed. Natsu did not really mind. He knew his sheets were going to be a mess soon anyway.

One at a time, the dragon slayer lifted Gray's legs, placing them on his muscled shoulders. Gray laid back in anticipation, gazing up with huge eyes. Natsu aligned himself and looked one last time at Gray. It was now or never.

"Are you sure? Are you really, truly sure?" Natsu looked utterly serious. "I won't ask again, and I'm not going to stop."

Gray chuckled slyly. "You better not stop, bastard!"

Natsu smirked at the challenging gleam in those gray-blue eyes. "Just thought I'd warn you," he teased.

His cock rubbed along the crack of Gray's ass, stroking and coaxing. He rocked up and down, trailing olive oil and pre-cum around Gray's virgin hole. Natsu tried to remind himself to be gentle, yet instinct told him to grab Gray and thrust in hard, fast, and rough. One hand moved to caress Gray's body, a distraction he knew was needed to keep him from tensing up. Then Natsu shifted himself and wedged his cock into the crease between Gray's ass cheeks. He held his eager arousal in his hand and directed it toward the starlike pucker. He wanted this to work right the first time, not poking around aimlessly. Quick, gentle, smooth...he had to make this feel like he knew what the hell he was doing.

Gray felt the cockhead press up against his ass, and he stiffened, unsure if he was ready for what would surely involve pain.

"It won't hurt for long," the dragon slayer assured him, swiveling the tip of his cock around Gray's entrance, slowly burrowing just the tip in. He saw Gray tense up at just that much. "Relax. You've put up with worse pain in fights."

"True enough," Gray realized.

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and relaxed everything below the waist. For how nervous and tense he felt, Gray knew that for this to work, he had to be calm, accepting the pain, taking that heat into his body. He paused for a moment, making sure he was ready physically and mentally. Emotionally, his brain was screaming _Fuck me already! _But mentally, he was a total chaotic mess. After what felt like an eternity, with that arousal poised to pierce, Gray gave the consenting nod.

Gently, Natsu pressing the head of his cock against Gray's sphincter. It was harder than he had imagined. He pressed and pressed, yet it did not just slip in like he had read in Erza's yaoi manga. He gripped himself again, and with a bit of force, he jabbed himself through the circle of muscles. Gray's whole body contracted at the sudden intrusion.

"_Dammit!_" he bellowed.

"Sorry," Natsu grumbled, too overwhelmed to speak properly.

Gray tightly clenched the sheets at the initial pain and panted hotly. He grumbled profanities, but he never actually screamed. Natsu grabbed those powerful legs higher as he thrust in, no longer willing to wait. The olive oil slicked the passage as he felt himself squeeze into such a narrow space.

"So...damn...tight," Natsu gritted.

Finally, he paused, not even halfway in, but Natsu truly felt he could not go farther without hurting Gray. His heart pounded so hard, it drowned out the constant tapping of rain. Then he looked down. Under him, Gray's body was contorted, with his legs up on Natsu's shoulders and one arm over his flushed face. All Natsu could see was clenched teeth gritting in a rictus of pain.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked worriedly.

In the back of his mind was a harrowing thought. If he did this wrong, if he made this hurt, Gray would hate this moment. It would be nothing more than some mistake made in the heat of passion, a painful lesson to be learned and promptly forgotten, never spoken of again. Gray would never consider sex with a man as viable. He would certainly not look back on this night with tender thoughts and private smiles. Natsu felt the weight of responsibility, the _need_ to make this feel good.

Gray had known it would hurt. He could hardly help but remember the one time Juvia wanted to try it up the ass. She had sobbed in pain but claimed it felt better eventually. However, it was not something she wanted to try again. She was a woman who wanted instant pleasure, not eventual "sort of felt good."

He felt a hot hand caress his cheek and yank him away from those memories. He had not even realized that a tear slipped out. It was not just from the pain, though. That was slowly becoming bearable.

"Natsu," he said, his throat choked up. He sniffled to clear his nose.

The dragon slayer waited with dreading anticipation. _Please don't tell me it hurts too bad. Please don't tell me you don't want this. Please don't get mad and leave me._

The arm moved away from Gray's face, and Natsu was relieved to see a smile hidden underneath.

"You're not a virgin anymore, squinty-eyes."

Natsu blinked in surprise, then laughed. "Neither is your ass virgin anymore, droopy-eyes."

The sin had been committed, yet at that moment, neither one cared. It was a dark shame that only shaded the back of their thoughts, darkening this moment with a haze of taboo, making the actual deed sweet with sinfulness.

"Ready for more?" Natsu asked, trying to be considerate despite the lustful eagerness thrumming through his loins.

"Gimme your worst," Gray smirked with a challenge in his voice.

"Nope," Natsu smiled, and he leaned over to kiss Gray, then rubbed that cold nose with the tip of his own. "I'm gonna give you my best."

With Gray's face struck in an expression of shock, Natsu thrust in more. Gray tensed in pain for only a moment, then remembered to relax. It was painful, but bearable, and somewhere in the sparking pain was soft pleasure, comforting his mind like the touch of velvet. Gray looked up in awe at Natsu.

_He's...filling me. Hurts like hell, but he's inside me. Inside! God, I can feel his heat all the way in my belly. It's like he's ripping me apart, but it feels...so...damn...good!_

Gray moaned as Natsu slowly pulled out. Then, a little firmer, he thrust in. The gliding cock against his prostate sent shivers up from his ass, right into his tailbone, up his spine, and exploded in his brain.

Natsu reached over to the olive oil to add just a little more closer to the root of his cock. He wanted to be able to press completely inside. He pulled out and rubbed the oil around. Gripping Gray's hips for support, he thrust in hard, completely, until his balls smashed against the crack in Gray's ass.

"Holy...gaaaah!" Gray cried out, shuddering at the feel. "So frigging big."

"Thank you," Natsu smiled wryly.

"Shut up!" snapped Gray.

Need and desire raged out of control like an inferno born from an innocent candle. With every thrust, their breaths came in sync, their hearts beat together, their bodies united as one, thrusting deeper and deeper.

"Ugh...ahhn...unf...nnnngh!"

Natsu's heart raced when he saw the expressions on Gray's face as he made love to him. Such passion, wild abandon, the erotic grunts...Natsu would always keep it in his memory. He thrust in him more and more, filling that void, until their hearts and souls became one.

"You're sucking me in, Gray. Your body must really have been craving this. Mine, too," he admitted. "I've been craving you...for so long. Oh God, Gray."

"Natsu!" Gray cried out.

"Don't come yet," Natsu said, trying to slow down. He grabbed Gray's cock and held the base tightly.

"No, please!"

"Not yet," Natsu smiled, leaning over and giving him a devious kiss.

He grabbed Gray, and with a swift yet slightly awkward spin, Natsu flipped their positions. Gray was now on top, sitting on Natsu's groin, still pierced, and Natsu laid on the pillow, gazing up with fascination.

"Ride me, Gray."

Gray was stunned. Although he was used to being on top, this was completely different. It was a type of lovemaking he had never experienced, and it made him a little nervous. Slowly, testing it out, he lowered himself more onto Natsu.

"Oh God!" he shuddered.

In this position, the cock could slide in deeper. Once again, Gray realized that Juvia loved riding on top. He let her most of the time. She liked being in control, and she liked the depth of penetration. Gray now fully understood why she preferred the cowgirl position.

He put his hands on each side of Natsu's head, bracing himself. Leaned over like this, he looked straight down into Natsu's amused face. That smile was beginning to irk him. Gray wanted to see Natsu make the same embarrassing expressions as he knew he was making.

He leaned over and kissed the side of Natsu's neck, right over the scar. He felt Natsu's hips thrust up at that. He licked there again, following the ragged scar.

"Gray," Natsu moaned as his body trembled.

He looked at the dragon slayer's face. Yes..._that_ was the expression he wanted. "Your scarf will hide this," he mumbled, then Gray leaned over and sucked his lips onto Natsu's neck.

Natsu cried out and shuddered. _Me? Being marked?_

Gray raised up and admired the blood raised to the surface. That mark would last beyond this night. It was not permanent, but it would still be a brief and pleasant reminder.

"You're mine now, Natsu," Gray said in soft, velvety words. "Even if it's brief, like this mark," and his fingers brushed lightly over the sensitive spot, making Natsu buck upward, "you're mine for now."

Gray raised his hips, then sensually slid down the shaft, smirking as he watched Natsu reacting stronger now, tensing at the sensation, rather than stoically watching. Now it was Gray with the smug glint in his eyes, giving Natsu the pleasure he craved.

Suddenly, Gray sat back harder, thrusting forcefully down. His legs, which had been tucked to the sides, slid upward and shoved Natsu's arms up, capturing the dragon slayer's wrists with his feet and pinning them to the headboard. Natsu's eyes widened, shocked at Gray taking so much control over him. It was way more erotic than he could have ever imagined!

Gray smiled at his trapped dragon slayer. Natsu was just a virgin, after all. He had no idea how much fun sex could be, and all the alternatives available between two people in love. Then Gray placed his hands on Natsu's thighs and leaned backward slightly. He moaned loudly as the new position shifted inside him. Slowly, using his arms as leverage, Gray swiveled around with his hips, grinding deeper. He teased Natsu with circular and side-to-side motions rather than plain up-and-down.

"Gray!" came a desperate hiss. Natsu tried to reach forward, wanting to touch that cock that now danced erotically in front of him, but Gray's feet kept him pinned.

"Do you like to feel me ride you, Natsu? I have to admit..." He stopped his boast before saying it.

"Admit what?" Natsu moaned, too wrapped up in the moment to see Gray's troubled face.

Gray had wanted to say _I'm more used to being on top._ However, this was not the moment to bring up that. Any mention about his married life would only ruin the moment. There was something else he wanted to say, though.

"I have to admit..." he said softer, shifted gears in his tone. He released Natsu's hands, pushed himself up from his reclined crouch, and twisted back over so he could look straight down into Natsu's face. "...I wish we could have a second chance at this. I want to feel inside you, as well."

Natsu looked a little confused by that. "Are you saying you wanna switch positions? Right now? I mean, I'm okay with that, but I'm seriously ready to come."

Gray chuckled at that bit of crudeness that was so like Natsu. "No, I want to give you what you want tonight. I want to feel you in my ass. I just...I wish...maybe we could do this again. Later."

"I'm fine with that," Natsu shrugged.

Gray looked aside angrily. Of course he was fine with that! He wasn't the one who had to go home to a wife. A wife who wanted to start a family!

Natsu reached up and stroked that tortured face. "Gray, if you ever want this again..."

"I _will_ want it again," he snapped. "I already do. But I'm not sure if I _can_. I'm not sure if I _should_."

"I know," Natsu said in understanding.

"No, you don't!" he yelled. Gray looked aside with frustration. "Goddammit, I didn't want to ruin the mood."

"You're not," Natsu smiled. "Hearing you say you want this again...it's the biggest turn-on all evening! I'm not pressuring you. I'm just saying, if you're ever caught in the rain again, or maybe...maybe if you want to take a mission together for old time's sake..."

"Let's not think of the future," Gray warned. "If we speak more on this, I'll only tear myself up inside. Right now, the only thing that should be doing _that_ is your cock." To drive home that point, Gray slammed harder down, thrusting those wishes and pleasant fantasies aside. "Role back over. I want you to fuck me, Natsu. Hard! As rough as you can."

Natsu's brow looked a bit troubled, but he nodded.

They rolled back over, and Gray looked up at the dragon slayer.

"Yeah...I like this," Gray whispered. It was different enough to keep him in the moment, not thinking about that caging world outside this warm little home.

"Rough?" Natsu asked, looking dangerous now.

Gray swallowed, then nodded. "Make it hurt for a week. Mark me inside." He caressed the hickey again. "You'll see this and remember me. I want to _feel_ this...and remember you!"

Natsu smirked playfully. He had been holding back, wanting this to last as long as possible, but if Gray wanted it rough...he could definitely do that!

With no warning at all, Natsu's hips thrust hard, fast, and incessantly. Gray gasped, then choked out a wanton cry. His hands grasped at Natsu's shoulders, digging in. He wanted to mark the dragon slayer once more, so he scratched hard and deep. Natsu felt tearing at the skin and roared at the sweet pain.

"More, Gray! Scratch me more."

"You've got a little masochistic streak, eh?" the Ice-Make mage chuckled. "You'd love bottoming. I could make you really hurt, you know."

"I want that, too," Natsu moaned, pounding hard. "Want...all of you. Top, bottom, stroking each other, sucking one another off...everything! Every...thing! _Nnnngh!_"

Gray let himself indulge for just a moment. Him and Natsu, living in this house together, making love in every position, in every location. In the shower, in the kitchen, on the couch...everywhere. Laughing together. Eating together. Sleeping together. Waking up and arguing about who had to cook breakfast that morning.

It was a bittersweet fantasy.

"I'll make sure you remember this night," Gray said, and he scratched at Natsu's hips, yanking him forward harder while his nails bit into the skin. Bloody welts came to the surface.

"Gaaah! Gray!"

"I love hearing you yell my name," Gray purred. "Roar for me, dragon."

Natsu felt like his own fire might consume him. Everything was hot, burning, scalding him. His chest burned from the frantic breaths huffing out of his lungs. His thighs burned from using his legs and hips to thrust in deliciously fast. He felt like a phoenix being reborn in his own flames.

Sorrow. Happiness. Regret. Satisfaction. Pain. Pleasure. This was a night for everything.

And right now, his _everything_ was Gray.

_Gray..._

Nothing else mattered. In that moment, in that second, Gray was his world, his reality...his everything!

And he wanted to give everything to the man he loved.

It was a rush, like a cleansing purge, flushing out the passion, the desire, and the lust, coveting a married man. All those sinful cravings gushed forth, as if this was the only way to show Gray everything he had desired and suffered for far too many years.

The seed that shot into Gray was so hot, it made the ice mage cry out. He could feel that thick fluid coating him, filling that dark passage with heat, and some dripped out, making Gray's thighs sticky. He closed his eyes, riding the feeling, the surge, carried over and above it.

It truly, honestly, was like soaring freely in the sky.

At the sensation, Gray lost his control. As he came, his mind whited out, like a blizzard had swallowed them both up, trapped in this storm of sensuality and passion.

A snowflake and a dragon...who would have thought!

They stayed motionless for what felt like an hour, holding one another, Natsu's head buried into Gray's shoulder, Gray's body flopped in exhaustion. Neither wanted to move, knowing that when they did, the magic spell would be broken, and real life laid beyond.

"Best...fuck...ever," Natsu finally groaned.

Gray had to laugh at that. "How would you know?"

"Better than my own hand."

"Hell, anything is better than those callused fingers of yours."

"Still..." Natsu raised his head up and rubbed Gray's nose with his own. "Best fuck ever!"

Gray blushed a little. "Yeah...for me, too." His eyes drifted aside in regrets.

Natsu pouted a little. Was the moment over already. "Your cage?"

"No!" he said fast and roughly. "Not yet. I don't want to. Not yet." He sounded panicky, and he looked up with a feeling of desperation. "Can I stay the night?"

Natsu smiled in relief, and he caressed Gray's flushed cheeks. "I did offer you dinner." He leaned over and kissed him, then smirked down into that pale face. "Besides, you're quite a mess."

Natsu dragged a finger through the splattered cum on Gray's chest, then put it in his mouth. Although his face was set for an erotic glint, his mouth twisted up bitterly instead.

"Yuck! Cum tastes really nasty."

"Idiot. You really know how to ruin a good mood."

"No, seriously! Have you ever tasted cum?"

Gray flushed. "Obviously not!"

"It's gross. Here, taste." He dipped his finger in again and shoved it at Gray's lips.

"Bastard! I don't wanna taste my own cum."

"Really, taste it."

"Stop screwing around, squinty-eyes!"

They tackled one another, rolling around on the bed playfully and making an even worse mess. Then Gray captured Natsu under him and pinned him down, grinning victoriously. They froze for a moment, the heavy panting stopped, and their smiles wavered on their faces.

"I hope morning never comes," Gray whispered.

"Me, too," Natsu confessed. "Wanna shower?"

"If your power is off, won't the water be cold?"

"Idiot! Who do you think I am?" Natsu smirked smugly.

Gray chuckled as he realized he had a point. Life would never be cold with Natsu.

He just wished his life could always be with Natsu.

**End of Chapter 4**


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